ORANGE City Council on Thursday took its first step towards the restoration of the historic James Dalton fountain in Cook Park by using a crane to lift the 120-year-old fountain onto the back of a truck to be transported to Sydney.
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The cast-iron fountain, which weighs around one tonne, will be sandblasted and repainted by Sydney company Bondi Stone, before it’s returned to the park later this year.
Council’s park and gardens committee chair Reg Kidd said he was pleased to see the monument given a facelift.
“The fountain was donated to the people of Orange by local storekeeper James Dalton in 1989 and it’s always held pride of place in Cook Park,” Cr Kidd said.
“Over the years some of the plumbing inside the fountain has gradually deteriorated and, when it comes back, the plan will be to install new internal pipe work as well as upgraded equipment nearby to keep the water quality up.
“The fountain will be missed by visitors to Cook Park in the coming months but I’m sure they’ll be patient if it means we can look forward to a fantastic facelift.”
The historic fountain includes a lot of decorative detail, including four cherubs and two overflow bowls.
Council has awarded the initial $20,000 restoration work tender to Sydney-based company International Conservation Services. They hired Bondi Stone to assist with the fountain’s removal and installed a new stone base at the site for when the fountain is returned.
“The amount of work to be done will depend on what they find when they can look closely inside the fountain and see how much of the existing pipes have been blocked and need replacing,” Cr Kidd said.
